Oliver Queen: Resurrection
by mjf2468
Summary: Malcolm Merlyn was desperate. How could he finally escape the League's death sentence? By using Oliver Queen as a means to defeat Ra's. Will he succeed? Read to discover whether Malcolm is able to avoid a battle with Ra's, or to survive one. Will Oliver be collateral damage in their battle?
1. Chapter 1: Danger and Death Ahead

Summary: Malcolm Merlyn had the perfect plan to get out of the blood debt given to him by Ra's al Ghul. He would pit Oliver Queen against Ra's, who would kill him. Merlyn would then resurrect Oliver, earning him Queen's allegiance against Ra's. His plan? To train Oliver to take on Ra's once again and beat him.

**AN: Just read yet another article of speculation which resulted in this plot bunny. So far, for me, what follows seems to be the most likely to occur in the episodes to come following episode 9. We shall see. This story will be totally canon up to episode 9. Then we'll find out how close to canon it is when we see the new episodes after January 21. Hope you enjoy! **

Malcolm watched the scene at the top of the mountain unfold as he pretty much thought it would. Oliver fought the good fight, but the end result was him tumbling off the cliff….dead. Malcolm successfully remained hidden while Ra's, Nyssa, and Maseo left, taking all evidence of the duel with them.

There was still a smidge of conscience residing in Malcolm, which cried out in horror at what he had done. He had basically led Oliver to his death. Which would be permanent if his plan to get him to the Lazarus Pit failed.

However, Malcolm was confident he would be successful in his plan to resurrect Mr. Queen. Oliver would then be grateful to Malcolm for restoring him to life, and thus swear allegiance with him against Ra's al Ghul. Malcolm would then train Oliver to be successful in beating Ra's in a second duel, thus erasing the blood debt over his and Thea's heads.

Following Oliver's tumble off the mountain, Merlyn and two hired men bundled up his body on a sled and made their way to Ra's' compound. Merlyn kept an eye out for any possible danger, but the compound was empty. After the duel, al Ghul and his contingent had left, as Merlyn thought they would. Ra's never really liked his North American stronghold, but had held the duel here because of necessity. He hadn't wanted to reveal any more of his secrets to Queen than necessary by having Oliver meet him at his Nanda Parbat home.

While Merlyn kept watch, the two men carried Oliver into the building. Merlyn followed, after picking up two packages from the sled.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver first became aware of lying on an unfamiliar bed. He knew it wasn't his bed at home because it wasn't as comfortable. His side itched, and as he attempted to scratch it, he was unable to move his hand. The somewhat familiar sensation of having his hands cuffed registered in his scrambled brain; he attempted to remember what happened. _Oh no, not again. What is it this time?_

Even though he felt worse than he had ever felt, which was saying something, his self-preservation was still very much alive in him. This resulted in his listening for any clues to his predicament before opening his eyes and possibly alerting an enemy of his wakefulness. Nothing, he heard nothing, so he warily opened his eyes.

"Welcome back, Oliver. Glad to see you awake."

Dread shot into the pit of his stomach at the familiar voice. _Merlyn_. His eyes shot open wide, and he turned his head only to see the dreaded sight of his enemy sitting in a chair next to the bed. Every hair immaculately in place, wearing an expensive suit like always, Malcolm Merlyn was indeed next to him.

Glaring at him, Oliver waited for Merlyn to say something else, to give him a clue as to what the situation was all about. All Merlyn did was smile his most maddening smile. Oliver rolled his eyes and decided to speak. "What's this all about?"

"What do you remember?"

Oliver thought for a moment. Suddenly it became clear. The ultimatum from Ra's, Malcolm's set-up of Thea, the duel…

The stabbing. In the chest. Being run completely through by Ra's sword. Life draining out of him.

"How can I be alive?"

Malcolm smiled. "Oh, you do remember. Yes, Oliver, you died. I brought you back to life by way of a Lazarus Pit."

Oliver considered what he had just heard. Several things troubled him. "Lazarus Pit? I thought that was only a legend. Make believe."

"Lucky for you it isn't. Ra's may look like he's fifty, but he's actually over 400 years old. He has used the Pits many times over the centuries."

Oliver decided to explore the topic of the Pit later and address the other issue. "_You_ brought me back to life?" He forced himself to ask, "Why?"

Malcolm smiled a particularly bothersome smile. "Yes, who would've thought we would finally be on the same side?" Oliver glared at him, but Malcolm continued as though he wasn't bothered. "You see, Oliver, we need each other. I need your help in defeating Ra's thereby cancelling the blood debt hanging over my and your sister's heads. You need me to prepare you for your next duel with Ra's so you can win this time."

"So this is your true reason for killing Sara? So I'm indebted to you and so agree to take care of your blood debt?"

"Remember, _I_ didn't kill Sara."

Oliver swallowed hard, fighting the bile rising up in his throat. "Why couldn't you just ask me for help instead of using Sara and Thea to manipulate me into taking care of your blood debt?"

"For one thing, you wouldn't have agreed without incentive. Second, Ra's wouldn't have allowed you to get close to him without this. I'm sorry I had to go through such extremes, but there was no other way. I would've trained you better before your first duel, but Ra's gave his ultimatum earlier than I had expected." A small chuckle escaped Malcolm. "Not to mention the fact you wouldn't believe or trust me."

"Really, Malcolm? How can I trust anything you say now?"

"You don't have much choice, do you? We need each other, Oliver. You need my help in defeating him. He will come after you once he hears you're not dead. Also, he will know how you are still alive, and he won't be happy about someone else using one of his Lazarus pits."

"Again, your doing, not mine."

"Doesn't matter. Sure, he's still after me until you kill him, but without me you wouldn't be able to defeat him. You also don't have the choice not to battle him again. He won't give you a choice."

Oliver leaned back into his pillow. He suddenly was very, very tired. However, before he surrendered to the fatigue, he needed some answers.

"I'm tired. So we will discuss this all later, but Malcolm, what are you planning? What's next?"

"Yes, I understand why you're tired. Your body reacted strongly to coming back alive, and you were insane for three days."

"What?"

"Don't worry, it's a common reaction. One that is temporary but increases in severity and length with continued use of the Pit. Thus, why Ra's is the way he is."

Oliver filed the information for future consideration. "I need to call my team and let them know…"

"Not yet."

"What do you mean 'not yet'?"

"Ra's has ears everywhere. We don't want him to find out you're alive until you're ready to face him again."

Oliver raised his voice. "That could take _months_. I will _not_ allow my team to not know for so long."

"You don't have a choice. They have to be convincing in their grief. It will be okay, Oliver. When you have defeated him we will then let them know."

Malcolm's grin disappeared and instead the hard-core villain Oliver was familiar with appeared. He leaned forward, his face inches away from Oliver's. "This isn't negotiable." He got up, walked to the door of the room, and opened it. "Rest now, Oliver. We shall talk more later. It will all work out, trust me." Malcolm left, closed the door, and Oliver heard a key turn in the lock.

"_Trust him? Yeah, right."_ Oliver looked around the small room, finding nothing capable of potential use. Actually, the bed and chair were the only furnishings, and the one window was small and grimy. Some sunshine shone through the dirty panes, but Oliver could see nothing else from the angle he was at.

Oliver leaned back into the pillows once again. Exhaustion overcame him, and sleep readily came. _I'll think about all of this later._

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Felicity entered the foundry as she had the past three days, resigned to the task of hunting Oliver down. Again she cursed the team's agreeing to Oliver leaving without knowing where he was going. Why oh why didn't they ask Oliver for the address? No, they should've _demanded_ the address from that infuriating man.

She knew why she hadn't asked. She wanted to believe they wouldn't need it, that Oliver would return to them without difficulty. Even though deep down, she hadn't believed it. Neither did Oliver, she could tell. From the way he looked at her, to the way his lips lingered on her forehead, to the last determined look they shared as he left. The one thing giving her hope was that he had felt the same way when he faced Slade, the night of the siege. Despite all the odds, he found a way to beat Slade then, to survive.

Felicity walked down the stairs and turned on the lights. She didn't expect anyone to be there. A squeak escaped her lips when she heard, "Hello, Felicity," from her chair and she watched as Malcolm Merlyn swung around in her office chair to face her.

"What are you doing here?"

Rising, Malcolm walked to the medical table in between them. "I have a message for you from Ra's al Ghul." He laid a sword on the table. "Oliver Queen is dead."

Felicity looked first at Malcolm with eyes wide, and her lips formed into an 'O', then at the sword lying on the medical table. She was unaware she was holding her breath until Malcolm said, "Breath, Ms. Smoak. I don't want you to faint on me."

Forcing herself to breath, Felicity kept her eyes on Malcolm. "What happened?"

"Ra's used this sword, ran Oliver through, and threw his body over the cliff."

Felicity forced her lips to ask, "Where is his b…b…body?"

"I couldn't get it. Ra's took it away with him. He had left the sword on the mountainside, so I brought it back to you. I knew you won't believe me, so you can have the sword to test. The blood on it is Oliver's."

Felicity forced her body to remain in place, even though she wanted to run away. Or hit Merlyn with everything she got. "Why are you here? How can we believe you? Why should we?"

Malcolm shrugged his shoulders. "Believe me, don't believe me. I don't care. My obligation is done."

"Is that _all_ you can say? Oliver is dead, because of _you,_ and that is all you can say?" Felicity didn't want to look upon him anymore. She could not bear it. "Get out. Get out _now_!"

Malcolm again shrugged his shoulders. "I am truly sorry, Felicity. For your loss, your team's loss and the loss to the city."

As he walked past her and started up the stairs, Felicity grabbed the first thing she could find, which was a stapler, and threw it at him. It barely missed him, but Malcolm didn't stop or look back. He left without a word, and as the door slammed behind him, Felicity crumbled to the ground.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

As Diggle and Roy entered the foundry and started down the stairs, they saw Felicity curled in a ball sleeping on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Diggle bounded down the stairs to the IT girl and gently woke her up. He assisted her into a sitting position and asked, "What happened, Felicity?"

She had stopped crying several hours ago, but with Diggle's question the tears began to flow once more. Loud, racking sobs came out of the petite blonde as she threw herself into Diggle's arms. Diggle looked at Roy over Felicity's shoulder and noted tears in the young man's eyes as well. They both knew and feared what had made Felicity cry. Roy looked at the medical table and saw the sword. He walked over and picked it up, drawing Diggle's attention to it.

"Shush, Felicity. It will be okay." Diggle made soothing circles on her back. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Felicity tried to stop crying, and instead loud gulps were heard. Diggle let her go, and turned her body to face him. "Come on, Felicity. Slow your breathing, come on honey."

"Malcolm was here."

"What?" both Roy and Diggle exclaimed.

"He said he was here to bring us the sword as proof that Oliver….that Oliver is…"

Roy and Diggle shared a shocked look. Diggle closed his eyes, took a breath, opened them and asked, "Felicity, did he say Oliver was dead?"

Felicity nodded. "He said Ra's stabbed him and threw his body over the mountain."

Roy said, "Guys, how can we even know this is true? Come on, we're talking about Malcolm here."

Diggle turned his attention back to Felicity. "Where is Malcolm now, Felicity?"

"I don't know. I yelled at him in my loud voice and he left."

"First, Felicity, we will test the blood on the sword. It probably is Oliver's, and it won't prove he's dead, but it is a place to start." Felicity nodded as Diggle continued. "While I do that, you can check your scans and see if anything is showing up. We need to find the place of the duel, and see for ourselves what had happened. Also, see if you can get a handle on Merlyn."

Felicity took a deep breath. She felt a little better. After all, if Oliver was indeed dead, she would certainly have felt it. Wouldn't she? She got up and headed back to her computers. Diggle watched her with sad eyes, hoping he wasn't wrong in giving her possibly false hope. He got up and joined her at the desk and began to work.

**AN: So that's the first chapter. When will Team Arrow find out Oliver's alive? What else does Malcolm have planned? Can Oliver trust him? We shall see. Please review and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Preparing for Battle

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I do not. I just own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Well, I do apologize for not adding to this story sooner. My muse ran off. And then episode 10 happened, and it threw its hands up in disgust because it had been wrong. Temper tantrum, what can you do with such divas? Ha. So now, this story will be most certainly totally AU after episode 9. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Not sure where the story will take us, but I just might add some canon in as it goes along. We shall just have to wait and see what the writers have in store for us. And how fast the Muse works in getting the rest of this story out.**

Malcolm sank into the comfortably plumb armchair gratefully. It had indeed been quite the busy week. Taking pleasure in a job well done, he reviewed his accomplishments. After manipulating Oliver into the duel with Ra's and rescuing him from the mountain, Malcolm then spirited the young man away to a new hideout in the small city of St. Anthony. He had never been to St. Anthony before now, but the fact it was two hours away from Starling and somewhat remote made it a perfect hideaway.

Wisely leaving Oliver under the care of a dependable woman, Malcolm was then able to take care of the rest of the items on his list. He was pleased with the outcome of informing Oliver's colleagues of his "presumed" death. In this way he was guaranteed the time needed for Oliver's training without their pesky interference. Malcolm was confident he provided convincing enough evidence to support his claim. When they began to doubt it, as Malcolm was sure they would, hopefully Oliver would have battled Ra's a second time. Or at least be strong enough and skilled enough to battle Ra's should Ra's discover at any time Oliver was alive.

The other thing he had to check on was Thea, making sure she had plenty of his "special" tea on hand while he was gone. Her instructions were to drink the tea every day to continue to promote her "getting in touch with her spiritual side." Little did she know, the tea actually contained the herb Votura, which enabled her to be under his control. In this way, she would still be under the influence of the Votura he had been giving her all summer even when he wasn't there to actually give it to her. Thea agreed she would continue with the work-outs and the tea while he was gone the next several weeks. Malcolm knew she wanted to know where he was going, but knew from past experience the futility of such a question. He was extremely proud of her progress in developing restraint and control in many areas of her life.

Yes, his plan was working out beautifully on all fronts. Tomorrow, after a most restful sleep in a beautiful suite, Malcolm would return to Oliver and begin his training.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver slept fitfully, with all sorts of dreams interfering with his sleep. However, Morpheus kept ahold on him until he was finally able to wade his way to consciousness. He blinked, trying to become awake. A niggling thought something was wrong burst through his brain. Memories flooded back, and his eyes shot open.

No one was in the room this time. He raised his arm, only to find he was still handcuffed to a bed, however, it was a different bed. In a different room. _What the hell? Now where am I? And how was I brought here without waking up?_

Oliver leaned back into bed and listened for any sounds in the building. He didn't hear anything. He tested the cuffs, and saw they were indeed secure. Military issued, of course. Reviewing his body, he was relieved to feeling somewhat better. He moved his legs gingerly, also relieved he felt no pain. The stitch in his side was no longer apparent with the slight movements he was capable of doing with being cuffed.

The fact Malcolm had moved him without Oliver being aware made Oliver extremely uncomfortable. He looked down at his forearms. No needle marks, no temporary IV hook-ups. If he had been out for a few days, how had Malcolm kept him nourished and hydrated? How was Malcolm able to sneak him off without Oliver being aware of any of it?

After resting for what he thought was thirty minutes, and hadn't heard any sounds from the other rooms, he decided to call out. "Is there anyone here?"

An elderly Oriental woman entered the room, her long grayish-white hair pulled back into a ponytail. She gave Oliver a small nod in greeting. "I hope you have rested well."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Mingzhu. Mr. Anderson hired me to take care of you while he is away on business."

"Mr. Anderson, so he is gone at this time?"

"Yes, and he requests you stay in bed and recover from your illness."

"Meaning I am to remain chained to the bed? Don't you think it is a little strange?"

"My role is not to question my employer. His explanation was enough for me. He stressed the importance of you getting well, and how nothing is to interfere with that." She took several steps to the door, and then turned back to him. "I will bring you some lunch now."

Oliver watched her leave, wondering about the type of woman who would work under such circumstances. He hoped he could trust the food she was going to bring him, because he was very hungry indeed.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Diggle had volunteered to test the blood on the sword knowing full well the results they would get. Unfortunately, he was correct. He ran the tests three more times, and each time they were the same. He checked blood type as well as other genetic markers, which ended up being Oliver Queen's. Now he had to break the news to Felicity.

However, a little voice inside of him was crying out in protest of the meaning of these findings. Just because the blood on the sword was Oliver's didn't necessarily mean he was dead. Why would Malcolm think they would readily accept only his word as the only proof of Oliver's death? Malcolm had offered them no other evidence, no videotape or pictures, no body. Nothing. Plus, the evidence supporting not believing or trusting Malcolm, considering his history and past behaviors, was overwhelming.

Diggle was torn. Torn regarding what to think, and what to do. What should they do? Should he and Felicity go looking for Oliver, on the slim chance he was still alive? What were the chances they would be able to find him? How should they go about it? Who should come with them, if anyone else?

The sound of heels on the metal stairs brought him out of his ruminating. Felicity entered the foundry after running some errands. "Any results yet, Diggle?"

Steeling himself, Dig replied, "Yes, it's Oliver's blood, like we thought. I ran it four times."

Felicity stopped in mid-movement. She stopped, deliberately put her purse down on the desk, and sighed. "You know, Diggle…"

"I know. We have absolutely no reason to trust Merlyn. None at all." Diggle solemnly looked Felicity squarely in the eye. "So, what do you want to do?"

Felicity sat down in the chair next to Diggle. "I think we should go to the place of the duel. Either bring home Oliver's…body, or find out where he has been all this time."

"But we don't have the address. We should never have allowed Oliver to leave without giving that to us."

"I know. Something he will _never_ do again." Felicity looked at Diggle. "No, I am standing by that statement. No matter what Mr. Crabby Pants tries next time. If there is a next time, which there _better_ not be." Felicity took in a necessary breath and continued, "We _will_ find him, because he _is_ still _alive._" Felicity took a deep breath and sat back in her chair. "I will continue to believe that. Or at least until we get further proof he isn't. Not just the word of a demented mad villain."

Diggle smiled. The bad guys will never stand a chance with Felicity Smoak out in the world correcting wrongs. "Okay. So you tell me what I can help you with so we can find out where our boy is and bring him home."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Felicity worked her magic and obtained the most likely location for the battle through hacking of various web sites including satellites, flight plans and international records. She then expanded the search to include any flights from the area to other parts of the world.

"Diggle, I think I found the spot of the battle. I think it was in British Columbia. I then found an interesting bit of information. Several days after the battle, a small airplane left the area in British Columbia and flew to Central City. On that plane was a man who was being transported to the States for an organ transplant. He was unconscious on a stretcher when he boarded the plane."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, then I found where someone rented a van to go from Central City to Saint Anthony. I then tracked down where a man rented a cabin to take care of his invalid brother. Who was supposedly in a vegetative state."

"You don't say."

Felicity turned to Diggle. "I think I found them, Diggle. I don't know why, but it looks like Malcolm has been keeping Oliver away from us."

"If that's correct, I will kill him myself for putting us through all of this," Diggle said through gritted teeth.

"Me first. If he had any traceable bank accounts, I would already have drained them dry." Felicity looked at her screen, then back at Digg. "So, what is next? Do we bring anyone else with us? Laurel, Ted, Roy?"

"What do you think?"

Felicity thought about it. "I'm almost certain I am correct with all of this, but what if I'm wrong? I think it should be more of a recon mission. We could always pull the local law forces into the act, if we need to." She smiled wryly. "I also think it would take too long to get Ted and Laurel up to speed, especially Ted, since we haven't fully incorporated him into the team yet."

"I agree. We'll bring Roy, though."

"Of course."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver spent several more days in bed without seeing Merlyn. Mingzhu took excellent care of him, tending to his wounds and assisting him with meals and hygiene. The only thing she refused to do was allow him to walk around unaided.

"I am sorry, but Mr. Anderson was very specific. He warned me how…_persuasive _you can be. I am not to release you from those handcuffs. He did request me to tell you he will reconsider the cuffs once he has returned."

"How thoughtful of him," Oliver said. He could tell Mingzhu caught his sarcasm but didn't comment on it.

The third day Oliver woke from a nap to find Malcolm watching him from the chair in the room.

"I'm glad you didn't forget about me. How about some exercise?"

"Have you thought about what we talked about?"

"I haven't had much else to do since…well, I'm just hanging out here," Oliver said, jangling one of the cuffs. "I suppose I don't have a choice. We have to do what we can to stop Ra's. He will no longer leave us alone, so…I accept your offer to train me."

Malcolm nodded in agreement. "We'll begin tomorrow."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver and Malcolm trained for three days. Malcolm was pleased with the progress the younger man was making in his sword-wielding technique. Oliver, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised as to the amount of knowledge Malcolm was indeed sharing with him, not only regarding sword fighting, but the psyche of Ra's al Ghul himself. Oliver was also pleased with the progress he was making. He already could see how his last battle with Ra's could have been different.

On the fourth day, they had just finished their morning practice and was returning to the small cabin when they were suddenly surrounded by a dozen men in black outfits and hoods, armed to the teeth with swords and knives.

Oliver and Malcolm, in the center of the circle, backs to each other, began to fight them. Swords flew as the two men fought off the other twelve men. However, because of their earlier practicing, and Oliver's weakened condition, they weren't at their usual level of fighting. Unfortunately, a lucky sword hit the spot of his previous injury, making Oliver lose his concentration from the pain. Even though the Pit had healed the injury, the newly healed area was especially tender. Another member was then able to approach him from behind and get him in a choke hold. Between the bleeding and the lack of air, Oliver slowly slid to the ground in unconsciousness.

Malcolm continued to fight for a short period of time without realizing Oliver had been incapacitated. However, having received several deep cuts on his lower abdomen and upper left arm, and his combatants were increasing in number, Malcolm suddenly found himself at the business end of three swords. He had no other choice but to drop his sword and surrender. His arms were tied behind his back, and he watched Oliver's arms being similarly tied.

Malcolm attempted to maintain his footing as he wasn't so gently led over the uneven ground between two soldiers to a van which had pulled up during their battle. Oliver, being carried over the shoulders of a particularly well-built soldier, was thrown into the van. One of the guards leading Malcolm gestured to Malcolm to also get in. He clumsily managed to climb in despite his weakness and feeling unbalanced due to not being able to use his hands to maintain his balance.

They rode for five minutes over the rough ground. When the van stopped, Malcolm's eyes met the sight of a small airplane. His heart sank, even though he knew what their destination was going to be. The soldiers wasted no time in getting their prisoners loaded and the plane took off without incident.

**AN: Oh no! What's going to happen next? Please leave a review if you like and make this author very happy!**


	3. Chapter 3: An Upcoming Duel

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I don't; I just wish I did. I only own any original ideas found in this.

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows for this story. I decided I wanted to post this next chapter, because I wonder if it will be even more AU after this week's Arrow episode. I can't wait to see it! Either my story is AU or it will be pretty close to the episode. We shall see, as if I had a chance for the latter possibility. Ha. So I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I am rather proud of it.**

A nondescript black van roared up to the runway as the group was boarding the plane. Diggle was driving as fast as he could, pushing the van to its limits, and Felicity was watching through binoculars.

"Are you sure about the address, Felicity?"

"Yes, I rechecked the values three times."

Diggle kept his eyes out on the road, and Felicity continuously scanned for anything, friend or foe, as the scenery flashed by. Nothing out of the ordinary was apparent until they approached the field.

"Look! Isn't that Oliver being thrown into the van?" Diggle asked.

"Yes, and Malcolm is getting in after him," Felicity said.

Even though he wanted to catch the van and stop it, Diggle knew they were outnumbered. No purpose would be served if he and Felicity would be captured. He hung back and they watched the van pull off the main road.

"Why aren't we storming the van? Where are they taking them? Who are they?" Felicity pulled herself back from an anxious word babble.

"I don't know Felicity. And with it only being you and me, how can we storm the van? We saw at least three heavily armed soldiers, who are dressed like League assassins."

They reached the top of a hill, and looking down they watched as the van pulled next to a small plane in a field. Malcolm and Oliver were loaded into it, and five soldiers climbed in after them.

Felicity actually drew blood from her lower lip as she forced herself not to run out after the plane. She felt Diggle place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know. I don't like this either. We should've been better prepared."

"I know. You were the one who suggested we take the time and gather more people with us." Felicity turned to Diggle. "But if we had done that, we wouldn't have seen them leave in an airplane. We may not have known they were here in the first place." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Not the best scenario, but we are a step further than we were before." She took out her tablet and began to type furiously.

"What are you thinking?" Diggle asked.

"Trying to see whether I could get any clue as to where the plane is heading. They would have to file some sort of flight plan with the local airport." Several more minutes, and she did an air pump. "Yes! Thank goodness for small town security, or lack thereof. It appears the plane is on its way to…Tibet? What's in Tibet?"

"That's where Nanda Parbat is."

"Oh." Felicity looked at Diggle. "I think now we need reinforcements."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Malcolm spent the trip trying to hold the self-recriminations to a minimum. He was unsure as to what he could've done differently. The arrangements he had made were as secret as he could've made them. If he were honest with himself he would say it was only a matter of time before the League had caught up with them. He just didn't expect it to be quite so soon.

Looking at the unconscious younger man beside him, Malcolm wryly thought at least they had four good days practice in before they were taken. Malcolm was unsure as to how this all would go down. He rapidly began to review the possible scenarios when they landed and the different options they might have to combat them. All the possible scenarios were extremely upsetting, and none of the solutions were very promising.

Oliver moaned and Malcolm could tell he was beginning to wake up. Malcolm hoped he wouldn't jerk himself out of the chair, but Oliver didn't. He made several sudden movements, but subconsciously was able to maintain his sense of balance in the chair.

Without opening his eyes, Oliver mumbled, "We're on a plane, aren't we?"

"Yep."

"On our way to Nanda Parbat?"

"Yep."

"Have I mentioned how much I hate you at this moment? You do know this is all your fault, right?"

"I wouldn't say that necessarily."

After a moment's thought, Oliver mumbled, "Yes, actually, if I had killed you a year ago, this wouldn't be happening. At all."

"It's too bad you're such a hero then. Making promises not to kill only ends up biting you in the butt, I have found."

Oliver opened his eyes and glared at Malcolm. Malcolm smiled and shrugged. Oliver sighed and repositioned himself in his chair. He looked down and observed through the buttons of his shirt his abdominal wound had been sloppily dressed. "They didn't waste much time cleaning us up, huh?"

"They probably thought why waste the effort."

"I hope you've been spending the time thinking of possible ways out of this situation." Oliver knew there was only a chance of their escaping this situation alive, but perhaps The Magician had a back-up plan in mind.

"I've been trying, but nothing really has come to mind. Yet." Malcolm watched as one of the guards slowly approached them down the plane aisle. The broad-shouldered man looked down at the two men sitting awkwardly in the seats. "What are you two whispering about?"

"What does it matter? In no way would we be able to escape all of you," Malcolm said. He received a punch in the jaw for his remark.

"You better lose that smart mouth before you go in front of the Master," the guard told Malcolm. "But I guess you are right. There is no way you can escape, so I suppose there's no harm in allowing you to converse with each other. You certainly won't have much more time to do so once the Master gets ahold of you." The guard smirked at them as he walked back down the aisle.

Oliver gave the departing guard a dark look. However, the man was correct. It certainly didn't look good for them. All thanks to Malcolm. Oliver tamped down the anger threatening to rise up again within him. Instead, he began to think of possible ways in which to combat Ra's once they landed.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Malcolm and Oliver were led into a building which could only be called a castle. After walking through a number of corridors, they entered a high-ceilinged room. Ra's was sitting at the far end, on what appeared to be a medieval throne.

Oliver schooled his features into a bland expression, tamping down his fear. He was outmanned, outgunned, and uncertain as to how to get out of this situation. Having Malcolm accompanying him on this dubious journey only added to the uneasiness he felt.

When they were within distance of the throne, the men behind the prisoners forced them to kneel by applying pressure to their shoulders.

"Welcome, Mr. Queen. Welcome, Al Sa-her. I am pleased you have joined us." The dulcet tones of Ra's wafted through the air, giving the false impression of a social encounter instead of a dangerous meeting.

"As if we had any other choice," Malcolm said before Oliver could stop him.

Ra's lips tweaked slightly upwards. "I see you haven't changed in the slightest, Al Sa-her. I am certain I need not warn you to tread carefully from now on. You are walking on very, very unstable ground."

Oliver chanced a look at Malcolm and glared at him. Malcolm smiled and shrugged. "I apologize…Master."

Ra's nodded with a satisfied look on his face and rose. He paused, then took several steps toward the men. "You two certainly have brought me nothing but trouble."

Oliver was uncertain as to what his response to that should be. He really wanted to say something, but self-preservation kicked in and he held back a retort. He attempted to hold himself in a ramrod straight position, looking forward. He then felt Ra's approach him.

"Mr. Queen, I have reconsidered what I previously thought about you. With the presence of Al Sa-her here, I have begun to suspect you actually had very little to do with Ta-er Sah-fer's death. Instead, I suspect only this man here had everything to do with it."

"All right, I admit it. I was behind Ta-er Sah-fer's killing. But I wasn't the one who shot the arrows." Merlyn's response caught the other two men off-guard.

"Merlyn!" Oliver forgot himself and looked at Malcolm in shock. "What are you doing?"

"The only thing I can do. Pleading for my daughter's life. Master, I have again broken League code. I used my daughter to kill Ta-er Sah-fer in the hopes of using this young man here to kill you. I am very sorry I have done this."

The words had barely left Merlyn's lips when he found the end of a sword at his neck, millimeters away from breaking skin. Merlyn tried not to breath, afraid of the sharp edge. His eyes never leaving Ra's' eyes, Malcolm waited to hear what the man in front of him would say.

"I am amazed at my restraint preventing me from separating your head from your body. I am also shocked at the degree you are still capable of surprising me, Al Sa-her." Ra's lowered the sword, sheathed it, and walked on the other side of Merlyn. Merlyn swallowed audibly, and bit back a reply.

Hands clasped behind his back, Ra's fixed his look on Malcolm, who continued to look straight ahead. Oliver sensed the slight trembling in the body next to him. "Mr. Queen, what do you think I should do with him?"

Oliver swallowed. "I think he should choose the trial by combat. Just like he suggested for me." He prayed that was the right response. He also wanted Ra's to be totally aware of the degree to which Malcolm was responsible for this entire mess, starting with the original duel.

"And what should I do with you, Mr. Queen?"

Oliver couldn't completely hide his surprise. "Me? I'm the one who was wronged."

"Yes, but you lost your trial. You should be dead."

"It would appear as though God has given you the opportunity to correct a mistake, since I wasn't responsible for Sara's death." Oliver closed his eyes, wondering if he had made a fatal error with this remark.

"Unfortunately for you, my God doesn't look at it that way." Turning around, Ra's went to his throne and sat down. "I will take the night to think it over. Both your fates. Take them to the dungeon," he commanded the guards.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Malcolm and Oliver were led to the basement, where a row of cells were located. They were locked into the cell farthest away from the stairway. As the guards left, the dungeon was left in semi-darkness.

"How great is it Ra's gives us the night to worry about our fates?" Malcolm asked.

"Well, I hope you're ready for your trial by combat, because I don't think Ra's will let you off without it."

"I wish he would've told us what he was going to do about Thea."

"What possessed you to tell Ra's the truth?" Oliver still couldn't believe Malcolm had done that.

"I figured it was the only way I could save Thea."

"No, I really think it was actually to save your own ass. You thought Ra's would blame Thea, didn't you?"

"Why would you think that?" Malcolm sounded hurt by Oliver's accusation, but Oliver wasn't fooled.

"It follows your pattern."

"I will admit, it did cross my mind. Really, I don't know what Ra's will do."

"Self-preservation is your only goal, admit it."

"Should I apologize for all I have done? Will that help you get over your bitterness towards me?"

Oliver sniffed in disgust. "We need each other to get out of this, but it is the _only_ reason I'm working with you."

"Of course. I truly expect nothing less from you."

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

Oliver had debated whether they should take turns keeping watch, but quickly decided against it. There wasn't much sense in it, Oliver decided, because Ra's was going to do whatever he wanted with them and having a few seconds' warning probably wouldn't make much difference. It was more important to get as much rest as they could get in preparation for tomorrow.

However, Oliver laid awake listening to Malcolm's soft snores. Oliver wasn't surprised Merlyn could sleep so easily. The man had no conscience, having lost it years ago. Oliver tried to limit his tossing and turning so as to not disturb the other man. Malcolm needed as much rest as he could get. Letting his mind wander, Oliver finally was able to fall asleep and escape his worries for a while.

The next morning came too soon. It seemed to Oliver he had just fallen asleep when he heard the unmistakable stomping of army boots followed by their cell door opening with a big bang. The guards didn't allow the prisoners time to get up on their own power; instead, they grabbed the prisoners by their upper arms and pushed them out of the cell. Oliver and Malcolm both stumbled, but were able to catch themselves despite having their wrists bound.

They were led to the same room where they had met Ra's before. Ra's was sitting on his throne, looking refreshed. Oliver couldn't read the expression on his face.

"So, Al Sa-her, you thought you could trick Mr. Queen and me into a duel, thus having him rid yourself of me without getting your hands dirty?"

"Upon reflection, it wasn't one of my better ideas, I admit."

"Not only did you disgrace the League with the Undertaking fiasco last year, you now have this added disgrace. Plus, killing my daughter's Beloved."

"Who you never approved of, Master."

"So that is your justification, Al Sa-her, for all of this?" The cold tone of Ra's voice chilled Oliver to the bone. "You understand what I will have to do, Al Sa-her."

Straightening himself up, Malcolm met Ra's' gaze head-on. "A trial by battle."

"If I didn't want the satisfaction of killing you myself, I would allow Mr. Queen to do the honors. But we shall battle it out, Al Sa-her, in a few hours. I will allow you to eat your last meal first. I understand you didn't get any supper yesterday." Ra's pretended to look apologetic. "Sorry for the oversight." Ra's motioned to the guard. "Take them back to their cells."

**AN: It doesn't look good for Malcolm, does it? Please let me know what you thought with a review. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and hope you let me know what you think. **


	4. Chapter 4: Malcolm's Battle with Ra's

Disclaimer: WB/DC own these characters. I do not. I just own any original ideas found in this.

Oliver and Malcolm were brought back to their cells once last time. A separate guard brought them a tray with sandwiches, fresh fruit, and several bottles of water. Their handcuffs taken off, Oliver and Malcolm both rubbed their wrists in an attempt to get the circulation back into them.

Malcolm nonchalantly sat down on the floor, looked at the tray, grabbed a sandwich, and took a large bite. Oliver fixed a look of speculation upon him. Malcolm returned it with a shrug. "What? I need to eat."

"Are you doing okay?" Despite himself, Oliver was concerned about the man in front of him.

Malcolm shrugged again. "I knew there was a chance I'd have to face him, instead of you fighting him. I'd have preferred you and him dueling to the death, but what can a guy do?" Malcolm swallowed a bite of sandwich, took a sip of water, and continued, "By the way, I didn't like how you threw me under the bus yesterday."

"What? As if it wasn't something he wasn't already thinking of," Oliver snapped back. He grabbed a sandwich and ripped off a bite.

Fixing Oliver with a speculative look, Malcolm said, "Sorry, I really shouldn't continue to irritate you. It's just too much fun, though. But we should discuss some things."

"Like…?"

"Like…I know this goes without saying, but if I get killed, please take care of Thea for me." Malcolm busied himself with looking carefully at his bottle of water before taking another sip.

Oliver was about to snap at Malcolm, thinking _what does he think, of course I'd take care of Thea. She's always been my sister, and only his daughter for less than a year. _Oliver bit back his shook his head, saying "Of course. And if there is _any_ kind of chance, I _will_ get you to the Lazarus Pit." Noting Malcolm's raised eyebrow, Oliver added, "If I'm able to."

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "You don't know where the local Pit is. I'm not even sure I know where it is. But even if I did, I have absolutely no idea how you'd be able to get me there by yourself, here, with all of the League members around."

Oliver's face became somber as he persisted with making his point. "You do have my solemn vow that, if I can, in any way, I will." After a moment's silence, he said, "For Thea."

"Yeah, only for Thea." Malcolm couldn't help the note of sarcasm slipping into the phrase. He knew the boy was trying to extend an olive branch, but Malcolm couldn't quite bring himself to acknowledge it completely.

Silence fell upon the two men as they finished their meal. They ate until they had their fill, which was less than their usual appetite. Wiping his hands on a napkin, Malcolm leaned away from the tray as he breathed out a sigh. It wasn't very long until approaching soldiers were heard. Malcolm and Oliver exchanged glances and prepared themselves for the battle ahead.

~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~OQ~~

The sun mercilessly beat down upon the dry Mid-Eastern ground even at mid-morning. The dry heat was something to which Oliver wasn't accustomed. He wondered whether Malcolm's fighting would be affected by it. Oliver and Malcolm were led to a large field, with a temporary wall of swords at one end, a group of League soldiers gathered a distance away on the other side. Nyssa and Ra's were in the center of the field watching the two men approach, Ra's holding two swords similar to the ones Oliver had used in their duel.

Their guards separated the two men. Oliver was led to stand with the group of spectators. Ra's nodded at Malcolm, who walked towards the cache of swords. His mouth dry, Oliver acknowledged the deja vu feeling of watching Malcolm choose his weapons from the portable wooden wall. Malcolm confidently proceeded to pick up several swords at a time, and made a few swipes in the air with each one before replacing and taking another pair.

Oliver watched Malcom repeat the process of testing the swords. _At least he didn't have to climb a mountain in the freezing cold and fight in the snow._ Oliver tried to tamp down the worry he felt for his former enemy, but he wasn't very successful. The phrase "only the student has hope of defeating the master" repeated itself in his mind over and over again like a mantra. In equal amounts, the phrase both calmed and unsettled him.

After selecting two swords meeting his qualifications, Malcolm approached Ra's, who was waiting for him in the middle of the field. Malcolm met Ra's eyes and took off his shirt. A guard stepped up and received it from him, and waited while Ra's took off his own shirt. Ra's handed his shirt to Nyssa, who walked off the field towards the group of spectators and Oliver, with the guard following her.

A full minute was spent with Ra's and Malcolm staring at each other. Suddenly, Ra's lashed out, one sword thrust after another, but Malcolm was able to divert both of them. Ra's nodded, then the battle began in earnest. The uncanny silence covering the grounds was only broken by the sound of multiple swords clanging against each other as each combatant attempted to gain control of the duel.

Oliver watched, marveling at how Malcolm was putting into practice the techniques he had taught Oliver the past four days. _Besides training me, it also served as a good review for Malcolm. I wonder if he had meant it as a way of preparation for the worst case scenario. If so, then I'm glad._

Feints, lunges, and cuts continued to occur as the battle ensued. For a while, the two men seemingly exchanged the apparent advantage back and forth between them. Malcolm was able to get in a few deep cuts into Ra's' side, while Ra's was able to minister a bothersome cut to Malcolm's upper right arm.

After an apparently never-ending battle, Oliver became concerned when he noted Malcolm being the first man showing signs of fatigue. Oliver hoped it was part of Malcolm's plan, a subterfuge, a part of his strategy. It was only too convincing, though, as Ra's first knocked one of Malcolm's swords out of his hand, then managed to slice a long cut into Malcolm's side.

Malcolm looked at Ra's, fatigue clearly etched on his face, breathing heavily. Just as it appeared as though Malcolm would collapse, Ra's lunged, aiming for Malcolm's heart. Suddenly Malcolm's sword rose and caught Ra's in his heart instead, completely impaling Ra's aided by the momentum of Ra's' own lunge.

Ra's looked at Malcolm with wide, vacant eyes and fell backwards. Malcolm watched his opponent fall, then went to stand over Ra's' head. Malcolm slowly raised his sword to slice off the head of his opponent when a shout cut through the silence.

"Stop!" Nyssa rushed the field to the combatants. "Don't do it, Merlyn!"

"And why not? It's the only way my family and city will be safe."

Nyssa shook her head. "You have won the duel. All blood debts have been erased, yours, your daughter's, and Oliver Queen's. However, if you decapitate my father, it dishonors your duel and nulls the agreement."

"I have never heard of that rule before, Nyssa."

"It's because we've never had a scenario like this before for you to have seen it put into practice. However, the rule still exists."

Malcolm considered her words then held up his hand in surrender. "All right. You and your father better remember, if ever tempted to threaten us again, I could've beheaded him."

"As long as neither of you gain the wrath of the League again, we will leave you alone." Nyssa stated. She walked over to Oliver and handed him a cellphone. "Call your team and let them know you're on your way home. They're on their way here to storm the estate."

Oliver looked down at the cell phone, and noticed a number already dialed up as Felicity's. He put the call through. Attempting to keep his voice calm, Oliver almost cried in relief when he heard her answer. Oliver turned his back to the audience and focused his attention on the call. "Felicity! It's me, Oliver," he said.

"_Oliver! Digg, it's Oliver. How? Where are you? You _are_ alive. I knew it, didn't I say I knew it Diggle. Oh, you are alive. I can't believe it…"_

"Felicity! Fe-li-ci-ty! Stop. Where are you?"

"I can see what I can only hope is Ra's' palace up ahead the road. Are you okay? Do you need rescue?"

"Malcolm and I are okay. No, we aren't needing to be rescued," Oliver looked again at Nyssa, seeking confirmation. Nyssa nodded. "Wait a minute, Felicity." Oliver moved the phone away and asked Nyssa, "Nyssa? Malcolm and I are free to leave now, right?" Oliver needed the reassurance, part of him not actually believing this nightmare was truly over.

"Yes, Oliver Queen, you and Al Sa-her are free to go. Your team can pick you up at the door whenever they get here."

"You hear that, Felicity? No need to storm the castle."

"Roger that, Oliver. See you in a few then." As Felicity hung up, Oliver handed the phone back to Nyssa, who accepted it with a nod.

"Nyssa, I would say it's been great, but…" Malcolm started with a grin.

"Oh, be quiet, Merlyn, and let's leave before they change their minds," Oliver said with a frown. "Nyssa…"

"No words are necessary, Queen. Just leave so I can take care of my father." Nyssa nodded to several guards, who motioned to Oliver and Malcolm to begin heading down the path they had previously taken.

As they walked through the palace, supposedly for the first and last time, Oliver marveled at the close call they had. He had the man beside him to thank for getting them out of the mess. However, at the same time, it was indeed his fault they were in the mess in the first place. Oliver couldn't help an eye roll.

They reached the grand entrance, and the one of the two footmen there opened the door. Oliver breathed a sigh of relief to see Diggle and Felicity waiting for them in a jeep outside the door. Oliver smiled when Felicity was going to jump out of the jeep, but was stopped by Diggle's arm. She looked at Diggle as Diggle shook his head.

Oliver and Malcolm walked out, seemingly calm, and got into the back seat of the jeep. Diggle controlled the impulse to go squealing out of the long driveway. Instead, the jeep left in a normal speed.

Felicity bounced up and down in her seat, alternately looking out of the windshield providing commentary to Diggle as to where to go and turning around to look behind her to make sure Oliver was still in the back seat. Oliver could tell she was on the verge of another word babble and decided to head it off.

"We're both okay, Felicity."

"I don't even know where to begin. What happened? Why didn't you let us know you were alive? Why are you with _him_?"

"Before you start with all that, where exactly are we going?" Malcolm interrupted.

Felicity glared at him. Malcolm could tell she was only tolerating his presence because she must. "We flew here in a private plane, which Diggle's friend from the army is guarding for us. So that's how we're going home."

Malcolm acknowledged the information with a solemn nod. "And now we probably should address the probable anger you feel against me…"

"_Probable_ anger? Yeah, try _real_ anger. As you can see, we didn't believe you when you told us Oliver was _dead_. Why did you do it, when it's now so obviously clear right now not to be true?"

"Oliver needed time to recuperate, to regain strength to face Ra's again."

"He could've recuperated with us just fine, in Starling."

"No, the moment he showed up, Ra's would've come for him. In his weakened state, Oliver would've had no chance against him."

"We could've kept it quiet."

"No, this was just too important. Ra's is just too good a detective. He could pick up on the tiniest clue. We couldn't afford that."

Felicity didn't want to, but she had to admit the low-life scum had a point. "So, how did you guys end up here?"

"I don't know how he found us, but he did. Luckily we were able to get in four days' of practice before they captured us and brought us here."

"Which ended up serving you tremendously well, I must say. Malcolm, I admit this grudgingly, but you did great in your battle with Ra's." Oliver spoke up, finally having a chance to break in.

Diggle spoke up, asking, "What, man? You didn't battle him again?"

Malcolm said, "No, I took one for the team and admitted it was all my fault. So I ended up battling Ra's because of it."

"What…was your fault?" Felicity glared at Malcolm, suddenly feeling cold.

Oliver sighed. He had debated about telling the team about this, but knew they deserved the truth. Sensing Malcolm's reluctance, he prodded. "Come on, Merlyn. You started, you better finish it."

"Suddenly I'm not sure it's a smart idea to tell her now."

"What? You're afraid of little old me?" Felicity then mumbled, "You should be." She shook herself. "I didn't mean to say that," she whispered to Diggle.

"It's okay, Felicity, he deserves to be frightened." Diggle shook his head at the antics. He looked in the rearview mirror at the man he detested. Malcolm met the cold look headlong without flinching. "Well, Merlyn, what _did_ you do?"

"I'm sorry. I decided to have Thea kill Sara, in the hopes of both getting into the good graces of Ra's, and if necessary, have a means to manipulate Oliver into battling Ra's, if the first plan didn't work."

Felicity's eyes narrowed as she fixed upon Malcolm what she wished would be a death glare. How could that man sit there and tell them calmly how he had killed Sara? How he manipulated _his own daughter_ to do the deed. All in order to escape a death penalty.

"So you actually had the balls to admit to Ra's what you did? But it's so uncharacteristic of you to do such a thing. Why did you do it?" Felicity asked.

Malcolm was silent. Oliver suddenly knew he needed to coral the discussion. "He partly hoped it would still shift the focus off of him. It didn't work. Ra's knew Malcolm was behind it all." He paused, gave a smile, and said, "He did offer me the _opportunity_ to battle Malcolm. I of course declined."

"What?" Diggle snorted. "I kinda wished you had taken Ra's up on his offer, Oliver."

Malcolm was going to speak the retort hot on his lips, but seeing the ARGUS plane in front of him, he decided to delay it.

"Looks like we are at the plane. Why don't we hold off any more discussion until we take off?" Malcolm asked with a smile.

**AN: We may be nearing the end of this particular adventure, with only one more chapter to go. I'm not sure yet. Sure appreciate all of you for reading, reviewing, favoring, etc. If you like, please let me know how you liked the fight, and/or this chapter as a whole. Thanks!**


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